TaRL Africa Senior Learning Associate

Teaching at the Right Level Africa (TaRL Africa) seeks a Senior Learning Associate to join the TaRL Africa Central team.

Apply

About TaRL Africa

TaRL Africa is a new high-profile initiative jointly led by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) and the Indian Education NGO Pratham.

Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) is an approach developed by the Indian NGO Pratham that aims to build foundational skills in math and reading for all children before exiting primary school. At the instructional level, the approach works by assessing children’s learning levels using a simple tool; grouping children based on learning levels rather than age or grade; using a range of engaging teaching and learning activities; and focusing on foundational skills rather than solely on the curriculum; and tracking children’s progress. When TaRL is implemented within government systems, Pratham helps ensure that teachers receive strong academic support through mentors who are part of the government system. Ongoing, onsite monitoring and support, as well as reviews at different levels of the school system, all contribute to the effectiveness of the program.  A series of randomized evaluations by J-PAL affiliated researchers over the past fifteen years have shown that TaRL consistently improves learning outcomes when implemented well and has led to some of the largest learning gains among rigorously evaluated education programs. The iterative process of innovation and evaluation in collaboration with J-PAL has helped Pratham to refine and adapt TaRL over time, which has now reached millions of children in India and Africa.

Learning Team

Learning has always been at the core of the TaRL approach. As the approach moves to scale in Africa, continued adaptation to the local contexts and well as testing marginal innovations for efficiency and cost-effectiveness will be critical to TaRL’s long-term success. This new position will report to a Learning Director and work closely with TaRL Africa central team and country team staff.

Responsibilities

  • Working with the Learning Director to translate the TaRL Africa learning agenda into studies in focus countries
  • Supporting country teams in crafting learning plans including plans for piloting and testing new design aspects and evaluations of impact, implementing these studies and analyzing and communicating results
  • Helping to communicate with partner organizations about the goals of the learning agenda, consulting on their learning plans and helping to communicate results across the continent
  • When necessary, seeking support from relevant researchers including helping to draft research proposals and manage commissioned research
  • Becoming an expert both in the TaRL approach and in research relevant to the team’s efforts to scale the approach across Africa
  • Frequently visiting country teams on the ground
  • Occasionally presenting the TaRL learning plans at conferences and events 

Requirements

  • Master’s degree with a focus on public policy, economics, statistics, education or related field. Must have graduate courses in economics, statistics and policy writing.
  • At least three year’s work experience, with at least a year in Africa
  • Strong data analysis skills including experience working in Stata 
  • Demonstrated ability to brainstorm and conduct policy-relevant research studies, especially in education.
  • Desire to help improve learning outcomes for students at scale.

Advantageous

  • French language ability
  • Graduate degree in education
  • Experience working as a teacher, especially in primary schools

How to Apply

Interested candidates should fill in the application form: tarl.info/sla-apply

Review of applications will begin on 4 November 2019, and will continue until the position is filled. If you have questions, please direct them to info@teachingattherightlevel.org (note: applications received by email will not be considered). Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Shortlisted candidates will take a written test, go through an interview process, and will have reference checks before a final offer.